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Whether there has been a centralisation of power towards the first minister and her entourage of courtiers during the 20th century is a contentious issue among scholars of parliamentary systems. A principle reason for the endurance of this debate is the absence of empirical indicators that can be compared over time. This article contributes to this research by examining a primary means the centre is believed to have increased its control: the appointment of administrative elites. Using an original data set of deputy minister turnover in Canada’s provincial bureaucracies from 1920 to 2013, this article tests whether the relationship between a change in the first minister and bureaucratic mobility has shifted over time. Consistent with the centralisation of power thesis, the results show that the level of mobility following a transition in the first minister and party has increased since 1980. Moreover, whereas before 1980 only a change in first minister alongside a transition in party leads to increased mobility, since then, mobility increases alongside all newly elected first ministers, regardless of party change. This relationship is not found among unelected first ministers, who are believed to have a different relationship with cabinet and party members than elected first ministers.
